karachi - Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians Chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim has said that the days of holding big public gatherings for election campaign are gone as a new political party has come in the form of ‘media’, which is holding campaign of the parties.
Sitting at his ancestral house in Makhdoom House in Halla, for election campaign of NA-218, PPPP chairman in his exclusive interview to The Nation came down hard against PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif and held him responsible for electricity crisis for scrapping the IPPs initiated by the first government of Benazir Bhutto. Amin, who initiated his political career with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, responded questions about reasons of not holding public gatherings, scenario of national assembly after forthcoming elections, party’s position in the country, team of party’s chairman Bilawal and other topics.
Besides chief of PPPP, Makhdoom Amin Fahim is also spiritual leader of ‘Sarwari Jamaat’ with thousands of followers across the Sindh province. With other politicians and fellow party leaders, he has also limited his movements due to security threats from banned organisations.
Makhdoom did not respond clearly about the number of seats party may gain in forthcoming elections, however, he confidently claimed that party would gain majority in Sindh with significant seats from other provinces. With the help of old partners-MQM, PML-Q, ANP and independents, the PPP would have upper hand to form government in Centre.
When asked about absence of Bhutto family will negatively affect the party’s performance, PPP Parliamentarian’s chairman and vice chairman of the Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, he said that party feels absence of Benazir Bhutto in the present election scenario. PPP is the party of masses as manifesto and programme unveiled by the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his daughter Shaheed Benazir Bhutto is preserved in the hearts of the people, so it was not facing any big challenge in the elections.
Makhdoom said workers and candidates were running the election campaign of the party in a manner like the party leadership used to initiate election campaigns in past. He said Benazir’s speeches were in the minds and hearts of the workers.
PPPP chief opined that it is not necessary to bring the young Bilawal in the field when security threats are eminent as we are in field for election campaign. He said that time had gone to attract the voters by holding big public gatherings as procedure of election campaign had been changed this time in presence of vibrant media.
About differences in the party on distribution of election tickets and emerging of dissidents who are contesting election against party’s candidates, the PPPP chairman traced the history, claiming that going against party’s decision and contesting election as independent candidates by few aspirants in frustration was not a new thing in the party. Even, everyone wanted to contest election on the party ticket and five to six candidates applied on each constituency during Zulfikar Bhutto and Benazir’s leadership but now media is highlighting such issues with wide space.
Makhdoom, however, admitted that the discipline in the party was not same which was witnessed during Shaheed Bhutto and Benazir. When asked why workers are ignored in awarding of tickets, Fahim contradicted with the question. He claimed that workers were sent in senate and assemblies during the last tenure of party government. Workers are the backbone of every party, so their importance will remain always, he added. He hoped that workers would be accommodated on other positions if party comes in the government again.
He brushed aside the impression that party is vanished from central Punjab, saying that such impression arises following the public gatherings of Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif who are busy making allegations against each other, so why we put our legs in the issue of others’.
Following the threats and attacks by terrorists, the party has decided not to hold public gatherings and every leader has been directed to focus in his/her constituency and area for door-to-door election campaign. The aim of holding public gatherings is to attract voters, so the PPP shifting its political strategy and policy is doing same through door-to-door campaign actively, he said. “We are not ready to take more bodies of leaders and innocent workers by arranging big rallies and gatherings.”
“PPP was under attack from day one of its creation as a specific group and mind was against the party. Such conspiracies and plots were foiled in past and will go in vein this time too,” he noted.
Amin said that liberal parties were under attack by the terrorists, who want to see the extremist right wing orthodox in power, raising a question that no blast was exploded in the public gathering of Nawaz Sharif and other right-wing parties.
He said that Benazir Bhutto initiated IPPs project, through which 24,000MW electricity supposed to come in the system against today’s shortage of 17,000MW. But Nawaz Sharif after coming into power scraped the IPPs project and put the investors into jail.
He said that elections should be held free, fair and transparent manner. He stressed all the political parties to accept the elections results. He rejected the assumptions and reports that next assembly would be a hung parliament.
He added that PPP is stick to the agreement and understanding adopted by the component parties in ARD signed by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif in London meeting, under which political parties would take part in elections through fair play and not to indulge in leg-pulling of democratically-elected government.
Any option to make coalition with PML-N or PTI after elections, he said that every party had right to negotiate with everyone after elections.
Amin also criticised the nationalist groups and PML-F-led 10-party electoral alliance in Sindh, saying that nationalists have no vote bank but are part of alliance to get some weightage through media coverage.
He said that his family was in politics on principles and not for power. He criticised the statements of Shah Mehmood Qureshi about him, saying that Amin Fahim is not Qureshi and will loyal to the party.